


Girl Meets Soulmate

by Monica_Rambeau



Series: GMW Season 7 [5]
Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/F, Love Confessions, M/M, Rilaya, girl meets world - Freeform, gmw, gonna be a bumpy one gang, more college adventures, season 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-20 15:47:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17625233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monica_Rambeau/pseuds/Monica_Rambeau
Summary: Next, on an all-new Girl Meets World:The strongest relationships are thrown into question when love is lost, secrets are revealed and home may not be where the heart is! NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME!(or: Some stuff will probably be the same.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for going chapter by chapter again with this one, gang, but it's really the best way for me to get stuff out here at this point. Hope you like!

The staccato tune of the rain on their dorm room window rose in volume as the storm outside intensified, leading to a slight stiffening of Riley’s shoulders as she sat typing at her computer. From her vantage, tucked in their bed with a sketchpad, Maya noticed this and smirked. A soft rumble rolled in from a distance after a light flash outside, causing a small squeak to emerge from Riley.

“You need me to hold you, there, jumpy?” Maya teased.

Riley looked over with a confident huff.

“No I don’t, Ms. Smartypants. I’m an adult now, and adults aren’t afraid of a little thunderstorm.”

A sharp, loud crack nearly shook the room, causing even Maya to look out the window. When she looked back down she saw a tousled mane of brown hair between her and her sketchbook, a shaking body clinging onto her below it.

“A-a-are adults allowed to be afraid of _big_ thunderstorms?” Riley asked, looking up sheepishly.

Maya laughed as she set her book aside, squishing her girlfriend’s face.

“Only if they’re as cute as you.”

Riley giggled, moving in for a kiss when there was an excited knock at their door. A curious Riley walked over and opened it, revealing a very wet redhead, clad in a soaked fluffy pink sweater and struggling to keep a humongous smile on her face.

“RILEY! SO great to see you!” She grabbed the brunette in a big, squishy hug.

“Rita! Great to… see you, too!” Riley offered, hugging back and shrugging toward Maya.

“ROOMIE!” Rita burst out of her hug with Riley, zooming toward Maya with her arms stretched out. She was stopped by a hand on her forehead, keeping her at bay.

“ _Ex_ -roomie, Rita,” Maya corrected with every ounce of patience she possessed.

Rita’s demeanor instantly slumped, with only her smile clinging on for dear life upon her face.

“Um, well… see, that’s actually why I came over…” She twiddled her fingers nervously as Riley moved back close to a worried Maya.

“Rita… why are you here?” Maya asked urgently.

The smile finally managed to melt into the saddest pout the girls had ever seen, her lower lip quivering and her eyes overflowing with tears.

“KENDRA AND I BROKE UP!!!” She burst forward into the arms of the girls. Riley embraced her tightly, while Maya deftly ducked out of the hold just in time.

“Oh, oh honey, it’s ok!” Riley soothed as she led her sobbing friend to sit on the bed. “I’m so sorry! I really thought you guys were forever!”

“ME TOOOOOOO!!” Rita yowled, leading into another violent bout of sobbing. Maya gestured toward the door with her head, tapping an imaginary watch, while Riley reprimanded her with a look and continued to console the heartbroken girl. With another look, she instructed Maya to intercede.

“Uh, hey…” Maya grudgingly offered, barely patting Rita’s shoulder. “Look… on the bright side?” Riley shot her a disbelieving glare as Maya shrugged.

“Sniff… I guess you’re right…” Rita moaned, raising her head. She forced a small smile as she looked at the blonde. “I mean, at least we get to be roomies again!”

“Say what, now?” Riley and Maya said in tandem.

“Kendra’s packing right now,” Rita smiffled. “She’s moving back in here, so… you and me are back living together, Maya!”

The girls’ eyes grew wide with terror as a dramatically appropriate clap of thunder sounded behind them.

 

(Cue Intro)      


	2. Chapter 2

            “… SO NOW THEY WANT US TO MOVE BACK IN WITH THEM AND WE WON’T BE ABLE TO LIVE TOGETHER ANYMORE AND WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHO AREN’T US AND _HELP_!!!!”

            It wasn’t the content of the rant that had Farkle and Smackle’s eyes wide and eyebrows cocked with disbelief as they sat with Maya and Riley in the dining hall.

            It was more the fact that the rant had come out of them both simultaneously.

            “Well…” Farkle managed, “I’m… not sure what to tell you. You guys aren’t technically supposed to be living together anyway. It was just a handshake deal with Kendra and Rita, right?”

            “NOT HELPING, FARKLE!!” They screamed, again, in perfect unison.

            “Perhaps,” Smackle offered, clearing her throat and folding her hands on the table, “It would not be… altogether _un_ healthy for the two of you to spend some more time apart.”

            Both girls clutched their chests, mouths agape with wounded gasps.

            “I’m just saying,” Smackle continued, “The constant close proximity didn’t seem to end well for your doppelgangers.”

            Farkle elbowed her urgently as Riley and Maya looked on, confused.

            “Doppelgangers? What’s that supposed to mean?” Maya asked.

            Riley shrugged, looking to Smackle for answers. A moment later, Maya leaned close to her girlfriend.

            “No, seriously,” she whispered, “What does that mean?”

            “A doppelganger’s, like, a duplicate or a copy, someone who’s just like you,” Riley explained before turning back to the others. “But that’s crazy! I’m nothing like Kendra!”

            “Yeah!” Maya laughed. “And I’m, like, the exact opposite of the ramblin’ redhead!”

            Farkle’s eyebrows arched sympathetically, while Smackle squinted, tilting her head in utter disbelief.

            “I’ma need you to dig deep, girls,” Smackle urged with strained patience.

            The girlfriends thought hard for a brief moment before their eyes burst wide open.

            “OH MY GOD!” Riley yelled. “THEY’RE US!”

            “WE’RE THEM!” Maya echoed.

            “WE’RE THEM AND THEY BROKE UP!”

            “BUT WE CAN NEVER BREAK UP!”

            “BUT THEY DID AND THEY’RE US!!”

            “BUT _WE’RE_ US, TOO!! DOES THAT MEAN WE COULD BREAK UP?!”

            “I DON’T KNOW! DOES THAT MEAN WE ALREADY DID?!”

            “I DON’T WANNAAAAAA!!”

            “HEY, LOOK!” Zay shouted over the din as he walked up. A wide smile was plastered on his face and his arm was around a short haired woman, “It’s my EXTREMELY NORMAL friends, ready to meet my new GIRLFRIEND!”

            The girls took a long gasp as they looked up, their faces in absolute shambles, before turning on a dime to display pristine smiles.

            “Hiiiiii!” They both said, sweetly.

            Everyone else laughed as Farkle and Smackle rose to shake the woman’s hand.

            “Excuse them,” Farkle said, smiling, “They’re not usually like this.”

            “Now darling, don’t lie to the poor woman,” Smackle chastised.

            “And y’all must be Smackle and Farkle, I reckon.” The woman said knowingly. “I feel like I know you folks already, with all the talkin’ Zay does about you! I’m Lucy!”

            The girls tilted their heads a bit at the thick southern drawl emerging from the beautiful lady’s mouth. Her short cropped dirty blonde hair sat neatly tousled above her green flannel shirt.

            “I’ve been dyin’ for you guys to meet her!” Zay beamed.

            “And we’re excited, too!” Riley offered authentically. “So, Lucy! Tell us about yourself!”

            “Well, let’s see…” Lucy hummed, looking up in thought. “Well, I’m from Texas, just like my boy here.” She punched him gently in the arm, eliciting a giggle from Zay. “I’m here for the veterinary program, actually! I’ve been workin’ with animals my whole life, but it wasn’t until I helped birth that baby calf when I was a kid that I knew I wanted to make it my career. I had a few anger issues in middle school, gettin’ into fights defendin’ my friends, but I’ve moved past that now. I’m really working toward being a better, more honorable person. You might say I’m the moral center for my own group!”

            Zay’s friends sat in stunned silence as Zay swooned.

            “Oh, sorry! Kinda unloaded there, didn’t I? I’m usually the strong silent type, but I’m a little nervous. Ha-hurr!” A laugh slipped out as she admitted her anxiety.

            Maya’s knuckles turned white with violent restraint.

            “My, what a… charming laugh you have, there…” She managed through gritted teeth.

            “Thanks! Oops, gotta run to class!” She stood up, turning to Zay. “I’ve got baseball after, so maybe we could get together tomorrow?”

            “Absolutely, Sugar!” Zay said, smitten.

            “Great to meet y’all!” Lucy offered with a grin as she waved goodbye. The gang managed stunned waves of their own in response as a grinning Zay sat back down.  

            “I know! She’s perfect, right?!” He could barely hold back his elation.

            The group stared in utter shock, until Smackle placed her hand on Zay’s.

            “Isaiah, I’d like to thank you.”

            “What for?”

            “Well, I don’t get to use the word doppelganger in context appropriate conversation very often, so you’ve made today very special for me.”

            Zay looked up, confused, finding restrained laughter on his friend’s faces.

            Everyone but Maya.

            “Hey,” the blonde offered, deadly serious, “Don’t… maybe we could talk about it la—“

            “YOU’RE DATING LUCAS!” Riley burst out, laughing immediately. Smackle and Farkle joined her, not noticing the ashen shock on their friend’s face.

            “What?! I’m… no I’m… she’s…”

            “Honey…” Maya offered with sympathy. She moved closer to him, placing and hand on his as he processed this new information. He suddenly looked up.

            “Holy crap, she’s Lucas.”

            The giggling around the table subdued and Riley gave him a loving nudge.

            “Oh, c’mon! We’re just teasing! So your new girlfriend’s kinda… EXACTLY like Lucas. That doesn’t mean that you…”

            Riley trailed off as she noticed the shattered look on Zay’s face, coupled with the unusually heartfelt concern on her girlfriend’s as she comforted him. Realization washed over the table like a slow wave.

            “Oh…” Riley uttered softly.

            “Oh…” Farkle echoed.

            Smackle stared at them.

            “Ok, I’ve been part of this group for five years and you STILL leave me hanging with this stuff?!”

            Farkle took a deep breath as he looked at his friend, fear on his face as moisture began building in his eyes.

            “It seems like… Zay might actually have feelings for Lucas, Isadora.”

            Smackle shrugged casually.

            “Can you blame him?”

            “Smacks,” Maya said firmly, “Very much not the time.”

            Smackle nodded sheepishly.

            “You knew?” Riley asked Maya, curious more than accusatory.

            She looked to Zay, who nodded through tears.

            “A… few months ago, yeah. He told me.”

            Riley seemed disturbed at this briefly, but after a moment of thought she nodded back at Maya with understanding.

            “How, uh…” Farkle mumbled, “How long have you felt this way?”

            Zay sniffed, wiping his eyes.

            “Since, heh… since we were kids. Before New York.”

            Maya rubbed his back as the others nodded. Riley’s face changed, however, as she did some grim calculations in her head.

            “Wait…” she said, her voice breaking, “So… through all of that… with the triangle, and… you were…?”

            Zay scrunched up his mouth, nodding.

            Tears flowed immediately from Riley.

            “Oh, Zay! I’m s-so… I’m so sorr—“

            “Don’t you dare finish that, sunshine!” Zay said, taking her hands with his easy smile on his face. “You did exactly zero wrong. This is… I’ve been holding onto this for a long while, and I never shared it, so how were you supposed to know?”

            Riley nodded, hugging him.

            “Are you ok?” She asked.

            Zay laughed as they broke the hug, brushing his nose with his thumb. All bravado.

            “Are you kiddin’? Yes, of course! The Zay-man has it under control! I keep this… I keep these feelings inside, me and Lucas are best buds and nothing has to change! Just like always!”

            The table was silent for a moment.

            “Until now…” Smackle offered, quietly.

            Zay’s easy smile faltered, taking a deep breath and looking back to where Lucy had walked away.

            “Yeah… until now…”


	3. Chapter 3

            The air was brisk as winter threatened to cast autumn aside in New York, and Maya zipped up her jacket a bit higher as she sat on the low brick wall edging the quad. She smiled as her equally chilly girlfriend walked up and joined her.

            “Wow…” Riley breathed.

            “Yeah…” Maya nodded.

            A moment hung between them before Maya spoke.

            “Are you mad that I didn’t tell you?”

            Riley smiled.

            “Of course not! It wasn’t your secret to tell.”

            Maya exhaled in relief as Riley reached over and brushed a blonde hair behind her ear.

            “Honestly, I’m really glad he had you to talk to about it.”

            Maya shrugged. “Well, I do have some experience in this area…”

            Riley smiled again before her face fell in concern.

            “I just… I wanna do something to help him…”

            Maya rested a hand on Riley’s knee.

            “I’m… pretty sure Zay has to figure this one out for himself.”

            Riley looked at Maya, eyes wide.

            “But… but I’m the one who fixes stuff! I gotta fix this!”

            Maya had a minor swoon at this pout before drawing the taller woman’s head to her shoulder.

            “Who knows? Maybe there’s nothing here to fix.”

            “What do you mean? He looked so scared after lunch…”

            “Well…” Maya intoned, “Sometimes these kinda things work out pretty good…”

            Riley grinned, nuzzling in closer. She suddenly rose up, her sweet grin exploding into a manic, euphoric one.

            “WHAT IF THEY END UP TOGETHER?! THE WHOLE GROUP WOULD BE PAIRED UP!! OH MY GOD, THE TRIPLE DATES!!!”

            Maya rubbed her ear to make sure it still worked.

            “Ok, hey! I mean, that would be awesome, but maybe let’s not get too excited yet! Lucas has always… well, he seems pretty straight.”

            Riley sat up, indignant.

            “Well, so did I until we got together.”

            Her brow crinkled as Maya burst out laughing.

            “You?! Honey, you were gayer than a three dollar bill!”

            “… I’m not sure I get that, and I was not!”

            Maya raised her eyebrow as high as it would go.

            “You had a secret alter ego with blue hair, an army jacket and a sword!”

            “Jexica wasn’t gay! She was…” Riley trailed off. “Wow… Jexica was REALLY gay!”

            “SUPER GAY!” Maya laughed. “Probably why I was crushing on her so hard.”

            Riley turned, scandalized.

            “You liked Jexica?! That homewrecking little--!”

            Maya grabbed her and kissed her hard, keeping her face in her hands as the embrace softened and lingered.

            “You’re very cute when you’re crazy,” Maya managed through a smile.

            “Then I must be cute all the time,” Riley said, wryly.

            They sat there another moment, their faces close, their eyes locked on each other.

            “We’re so lucky,” Riley whispered.

            “I know it,” Maya chuckled.

            “No,” Riley sat up, her hands taking Maya’s, “I mean… I guess all this Zucas stuff has me thinking…”

            “Oooo, nice name!”

            “Thanks, it just came to me!” Riley lied. “But… Who knows what’s gonna happen with them? It’s so uncertain, and I just… How lucky are we that we both love each other, and that we were both brave enough to tell each other and risk everything we had?”

            Maya nodded, smile clinging strong as a tight, guilty feeling tugged at her stomach.

            “I hope they get to have that…” She mused, before looking at Riley. “It’s… everything.”

            Riley smiled back and laced their fingers together.

            “I… I want to make sure we take care of this. What we have… I don’t want to end up like Rendra.”

            “Mmm, not as good.”

            “I know, I felt it as I was saying it.”

            Maya squeezed their hands tighter.

            “So… what are you saying?”

            “Maybe…” Riley steeled herself, “Maybe Smackle’s right. Maybe… it will be better for our relationship, for Rilaya…”

            “That one’s my favorite.”

            “Mine, too!” Riley smiled before getting back on task. “… if we do live apart for a while.”

            Maya looked for a moment like she was ready to argue, but it died on its way out. All she managed was a sad and honest slump.

            “I… don’t want to…” Maya said, tears threatening to burst.

            Riley held her close.

            “Me neither.”

 

\-----

 

            Evening had fallen by the time Zay had returned to his room. It took him a moment to turn on the light as he surveyed the room with a heavy and expectant sigh. Finally, he sat down at his desk, attempting to pay any kind of attention to the coursework in front of him.

            Eventually he was spared this struggle when the door opened.

            “I’m sorry! I know!” Lucas shouted as he exploded into the room, grabbing clothes and a towel in a scramble. “Practice ran long! Gimme 10 minutes--!”

            “Lucas…”

            “5 minutes, then! I’m an efficient showerer, and trust me, you don’t want me meeting your girlfriend smelling like—“

            “I broke up with Lucy, dude.”

            All at once Lucas stopped, dropping everything in his arms, his face completely fallen. He shored up his surprise into firm compassion, moving in without hesitation to wrap Zay in a big hug.

            Against his will, Zay’s hands sprung up to return the embrace.

            “I’m so sorry, man. Are you ok?”

            Zay stretched his arms, escaping from Lucas’ arms, and turning his head to look anywhere but at him.

            “No, yeah! I’m… it just… wasn’t working out. I’m…”

            He stopped, looking at the man in front of him, his face made of concern and concentration. He was listening with everything he had.

            Zay sighed, long and deep, closing his eyes. Finally, he raised them to meet his friend’s.

            “Actually… can I talk to you about it?”

            “Literally what I’m here for, dude!” Lucas’ tone was light, but without shrugging off the obvious weight of the conversation. He sat down on his bed, resting his arms on his knees, eyes trained on his friend.

            Zay paced back and forth for a few moments, as if the motion would charge up his reserves of courage.

            He looked back down at Lucas to discover that it hadn’t worked.

            Another, more frustrated sigh as he sat down opposite his friend.

            “Ok… ok. Ok….”

            “Ok?” Lucas offered.

            “Please don’t be cute right now.”

            “Ok!” Lucas affirmed with a smile.

            Zay leaned forward, grabbing his mouth with his hand.

            “Whoa, sorry… I’m not…”

            “I know you’re not. This is… this is just hard for me.”

            “I’m here for you, Zay. No matter what.” He reached across the gap between them, resting his hand on Zay’s shoulder. Zay looked from it to him.

            “I hope so…”

            Lucas looked puzzled, making Zay chuckle a bit. He took the brief loosening of his lips as his chance to speak before he tensed up again.

            “So… I broke up with Lucy… because the things that I liked about her… weren’t really things I liked about… _her.”_

            Lucas, not comprehending, nodded in support.

            “Like… there was a lot to like about her, but I wasn’t liking it about _her_ so much as I liked it… them, the things… about someone else, y’know?”

            Lucas’ lips tightened, a hint of a smile peeking around.

            “You wanna try rephrasing that one more time before you just say what you mean?”

            They shared a laugh at that. Lucas slapped his friend’s leg.

            “C’mon, man, it’s me! Let it out!”

            Zay looked him in the eyes one more time.

            “She was strong, but polite. Like, crazy polite, to everyone. She had a dangerous streak, but it was all out of compassion, of love. She was loyal, and not just to her friends, though especially to them, but to everyone she met! It was like, she wanted to trust the whole world, and because of who she was, the world… became more trustworthy around her.”

            Awed, Lucas shook his head.

            “Then… why did you--?”

            “She wanted to be a vet,” Zay continued, racing now, “because she loved animals and wanted to make sure anything defenseless had a defender, a protector. She played baseball because it made her feel good to push herself, to see what she could do, how far she could go, but it was never about winning. She thanked the teams that beat her, and meant it.”

            Lucas said nothing.

            “She… made me feel like I could do anything, be anything… because she was there with me. Because she believed in me.”

            He raised his eyes to meet Lucas again, expecting anything but the tears filling them.

            “You were dating her… because she reminded you of me,” he stated flatly, without question.

            Zay nodded.

            “You… have feelings for me?” This one was a question.

            Zay nodded again.

            “How long?”

            Zay’s eyes were red now, too. His face contorted as he tried to reign his expressions in, but the one that slipped out conveyed the humor in the question.

            Lucas caught the drift, exhaling deeply and running his hand through his hair. When his head rose again he grabbed his own mouth, staring hard at Zay.

            Zay couldn’t read his expression, and that terrified him.

            “Look,” he managed, not without struggle, “I’m not expecting anything, and… I understand if this…”

            He trailed off, clearly hoping for an interruption, but nothing came. Lucas continued to stare.

            “Alright, the silent treatment is gonna have to stop, here, man! I mean, I just told you that I—“

            “Do you know the first thing I felt when I saw Riley kissing Maya?”

            The interruption he’d hoped for had finally come, but it still blindsided him.

            “I assume it was R rated?” The joke reeked bitter.

            Lucas stood up, his face an absolute mask. One that, without his mouth covered, Zay could recognize very clearly.

            Determination.

            “I was jealous,” Lucas said, emotion slowly slipping back into his voice.

            Stunned, Zay stood frozen as Lucas stepped forward.

            “They were in love with their best friends, and I remember thinking…” His voice was lower now, breathier. “… thinking how amazing that would be.”

            They were extremely close, now. Zay had a thousand things he was trying to say as he felt his friend’s breath on his lips, but no sound was able to escape. Finally, a sharp gasp made it out as Lucas’ hands touched his cheeks.

            “Can I try something?” He whispered.

            Zay, somehow, managed a nod, even as something in the back of his mind was screaming for him to stop this. That something was wrong.

            But then Lucas’ lips were on his.


	4. Chapter 4

            Zay closed his eyes, taking in every taste and smell as his best friend kissed him. For a moment, he was lost in it, tilting his head and letting out a soft moan through his breath.

            Then his eyes opened, arched in sadness.

            They pulled away, both at the same time.

            Lucas’ face was confused and anxious.

            Zay’s was soft, yet resolute. He wore a small, sad smile.

            “I…” Lucas started.

            “You’re not attracted to men,” Zay helped him.

            “Zay…”

            “Lucas, do you know how many guys I’ve kissed?” He raised one eyebrow with his smile, even as his voice wavered. “You’re not attracted to me…”

            A deathly silent moment passed. Lucas looked down, seemingly on the verge of tears, guilt painted on his face.

            Zay’s smile lifted as he put his hand on his friend’s shoulder, prompting him to meet his gaze.

            “… but you love me a lot, to try.”

            Lucas nodded urgently.

            “Zay, you… you know I do. You’re the most important person in the world to me!” He looked down for a moment again, in shame. “I was hoping… maybe I could—“

            “Ok, Luke?” Zay raised his hand to stop him. “You are an amazing ally, so I’ma stop you from saying that you thought you could force yourself bi.”

            Lucas laughed, deep and soft.

            “Thanks.”

            There was a long moment between the two men. The air hung thick with unanswered questions.

            “Look,” Zay finally said, walking over to his bed. “I… I’ll see how fast I can figure something out about where to live. I mean, maybe I can swap with—“

            “What…?” Lucas walked over, concerned. “You’re… moving out?”

            Zay was as serious as Lucas had ever seen him.

            “Luke… I’ve been attracted to you for years, and we’ve been living in a 12 square foot room! Aren’t you…” It was Zay’s turn to look down, ashamed. “Don’t you… wouldn’t you be more comfortable if I…”

            Lucas grabbed both of his shoulders, turning him to face him. His tears were gone, and his face was absolutely resolute. Not with the gritted effort before the kiss, but with certainty, honesty.

            “Zay, this doesn’t change ANYTHING for me. If moving out will make things easier for you, then I absolutely support that and I’ll do, or not do, whatever will help.”

            His eyebrows arched, conveying the softness in his heart.

            “But you are my best friend, and I love living with you! You _never_ have to feel guilty or ashamed about how you feel. Not with me.”

            Zay’s face, now streaming with silent tears, was a mask of shock, before settling into pure admiration.

            “You always have a home with me,” Lucas said. “And you’re always safe at home.”

            Zay seemed to take a moment, but his eyes never left Lucas’. He grabbed him in a tight hug, which Lucas returned in force.

            They separated, then, and a Zay’s hand lingered on Lucas’ shoulder, his eyes shifted with a smile.

            “What?” Lucas asked, lightly.

            “Thank you, man,” Zay responded, earnestly. “I think… I think I needed this… to move on, y’know?”

            Lucas smiled back.

            “I’m always here for you, Zay. No matter what it is, I am always behind you.”

            They both paused for a moment.

            “We’re just gonna let that one slide, right?” Lucas said.

            “Can’t spoil the moment,” Zay agreed.

            The two best friends laughed, clasping in another hug.

 

\-----

 

            Riley moved slowly through her dorm room, a heavy weight on her brow, as she carefully placed Maya’s art supplies into a cardboard box. It was labeled as “Future Masterpieces” in a flowery purple script on the side.

            She reached up for the photo of them both at prom, sitting atop their dresser. She pulled down the photo of the two of them dressed to perfection. Maya had snuck a kiss on Riley’s cheek at the last possible second, making Riley explode with a euphoric smile.

            Riley touched the picture gently. She wiped her eye to avoid dropping a tear on the frame.

            When the door opened behind her, Riley quickly straightened herself up a bit more.

            “Hey, Peaches,” she said over her shoulder. “Did you find any more boxes?”

            She stopped dead in her tracks after turning around to see her girlfriend on one knee, a ring box in her hand.

            “Well…” she said, shakily, “I found _one_ …”

            Riley stood stunned for a moment before exploding.

            “MAYA!” She screamed. “NO! What…?! NO!! We’re too young!”

            “Smarkle did it!” Maya pouted.

            “Smarkle also collects algae from the pool in the health center!”

            “Your parents did it!” Maya retorted.

            “But they’re idiots!”

            “I just…” Maya continued protesting. “I have to! With all this… it’s the only way to keep us together!”

            If Riley was incensed before, now she was manic.

            “MAYA! We’re not going to break up just because we’re moving out! We could be across the country and we’d be as perfect as we are now! We could be across the UNIVERSE and I’d still commute on a spaceship every weekend to get kisses and make sure you’re doing your space laundry! This isn’t going pull us apart…!”

            She trailed off when she noticed the soft grin on Maya’s face.

            Riley exhaled sweetly, letting her own smile climb up her face.

            “This isn’t going to pull us apart,” she repeated.

            Maya stood up, moving to hold her.

            “I figured you might need a reminder of that.”

            “Maybe a little,” Riley shrugged.

            They laughed and kissed, until Riley pulled away with a curious look.

            “What’s in the box?”

            Maya held it up, popping it open.

            “Starburst!”

            Riley swooned as she pulled out the candy.

            “Oooo, yellow! My favorite!”

            Maya’s lip curled up.

            “How are we together?”

            Riley, mouth full, pulled Maya in for another kiss.

            They pulled apart when they heard the door open again.

            “Zay!” they both said, one slightly muffled by candy.

            “How we doin’, ladies?” Zay said, tired smile on his face.

            The girls looked to each other briefly, then back to Zay.

            “I dunno, buddy…” Maya offered, leaning in, “How _are_ we doin’?”

            Zay took a breath for a moment, then, smile still holding on, shook his head lightly.

            The two girlfriends’ faces fell, their shoulders dropped, and in an instant they were hugging their friend, who gratefully reciprocated.

            “Hey, it’s ok,” he offered, earnestly. “It’s… it’s ok. Heck, I think our friendship is actually stronger than ever. And this is closure. Now… I can move forward, without the wondering holding me back.”

            They studied him carefully, skeptical.

            “So… you’re ok?” Riley asked, all sympathy.

            Zay nodded.

            “I am.”

            “This isn’t just a tough guy thing?” Maya prodded.

            He looked at her.

            “Maya… I’m really ok. I promise.”

            She smiled, nodding.

            Riley scrunched up her eye.

            “Could you maybe use, like… _one_ more cry before you’re all the way ok?”

            “Y’know,” Zay said immediately, his voice two octaves higher and tears starting, “Yeah, that might be good.”

            They all chuckled lovingly as they hugged and wept together, one last time.

 

(Paper Airplane Transition)


	5. Chapter 5

            Their chests puffed out with courage, Riley and Maya strode up to the dorm room door, cardboard boxes in each of their arms.

            They breathed deep as they looked at each other.

            “Ready?” Riley asked.

            “You with me?” Maya returned.

            “Forever.” Riley answered.

            Maya nodded and knocked on the door.

            There was a loud thump, followed by a series of smaller bumps and shuffles.

            Suddenly, the door snapped open, but only partially, revealing a sweaty, disheveled Kendra, wrapped only in a bed sheet. She stared at them a moment, breathing heavy.

            “… What?!”

            The stunned girls looked at each other again.

            “Um… moving day? We came to bring Maya’s stuff ov—“

            “Oh, right! That!” Kendra managed, urgent and distracted. “Well, see… here’s the thing. Rita and I’ve been… _talking_ and I think we’re… really close to working things out.”

            “Soooooo close…” drifted a euphoric moan from within the room.

            Kendra looked back before turning to her guests again, hurriedly.

            “So, hey, keep everything as is? Great! Glad you’re on board!”

            “Strawberry…” The moan called again.

            “Gotta go! Seeya next month!”

            The door slammed in their faces, giggles emanating from inside.

            Riley and Maya, grinning like loons, slowly turned to each other again.

            “A month, huh?” Riley said seductively, after a moment.

            “Amateurs,” Maya snapped back. “Let’s go show ‘em how it’s done.”

            Boxes in hand, two soulmates left two others behind, headed for home.


End file.
